AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“When was the last time you let yourself enjoy yourself? Without thinking about everything that needed to be done later or about what other people need once you are done. Can you remember how that felt?”
My mouth goes dry, and I suck my tongue up against the roof of my mouth. I toy with the sweet maple taste lingering in my mouth, and I realize that beyond this evening, I cannot recall when. Enjoying myself is useless on Tlouz, where humans rarely survive, much less thrive. I shake my head, giving him a smile in an attempt to veil my sadness.
“It escapes me,” I say, running my tongue along my teeth. “This meal actually made me think about that too.”
“Did it now?” Verrin said, bringing the wine glass to his mouth. “And how does that make you feel?”
If he had asked me a question like that a mere hour or two before, I would have scoffed at him and asked if he wanted me to lay down on a long couch.
But right now, as my heart pounds and my chest rises and descends like a calm wave, I want to tell him. I want him to know.
“Pathetic, sad,” I say, my eyes drifting to the shelves. “And to be honest, very lonely.”
I pretend to look at the album collections, but I really keep peeking toward Verrin. I’m constantly drawn to him, and my heart picks up the pace in my chest. I dare to look up from the table and meet Verrin’s eyes, which are on me the entire time.
I stare at him, my mind a tangled web of desire, my skin electric to the touch. If he reaches out to me, I will not be able to resist him any longer. I want to be taken, to be ravished like never before. I don’t care that he’s a demon.
I sit and wait for him to respond, but he doesn’t. Instead, his eyes move back to his wine glass as he nods, his expression of intrigue fading as fast as snow in a heatwave.
I brought my own wine glass to my mouth to shield my disappointment. I feel like a heavy stone was dropped into the depths of my stomach.
“It’s getting late,” Verrin finally said. “I want to make up for lost time tomorrow and catch up with Malaki so we can get everything sorted.”
I nod, feeling my eyes sting with disappointment, my mind angry and frustrated at my negativity. I chug the rest of the wine as he stands, hands in his pockets waiting for me.
“Would you like to take the bed?” he asks.
I swallow the wine, which is smooth and fruity, then wipe my mouth with the golden silk napkin.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep much,” I mutter. “I want to listen to more music and drink more wine.”
I cannot meet his black pooling eyes because in there lay the sparks of my yearning. I see him nod in understanding, then he walks out of the room.
“If you change your mind, let me know. Or feel free to climb in next to me. It’s a very large bed.”
I look up at him to see if there is any flirty implication, but he has already vanished. I listen for the door to close and let my face fall into my hands.
“Fuck,” I mutter to myself.
The setting is sublime, idealized, and incredibly sensual. Verrin somehow managed to pluck every aspect of my romantic fantasies and structured them in a make-believe hideaway. But why would he do all of this and then not take his chance at luring me in?
I rose from the dinner table, its empty plates looking far less charming than when they were bursting over the edges. I take my wine glass with me to the fur rug in front of the fireplace, brooding in my annoyance and lust.
I hate it, but Verrin is right. I haven’t let myself feel enjoyment for enjoyment's sake for so long, but is that anything new to caregivers? To women in general? And why would he ask such a question and tease me with the possibility of freeing indulgence?
I run my tongue along the edge of the wine glass and then slam it down next to me, a droplet of the beverage flowing up and out of it and blooming onto the tan carpet. I barely notice because I am heated in more ways than one.
How dare he blow me off after stoking my fire. He’s a fucking demon sorcerer who can read minds. There is absolutely no way he doesn’t know how much he is torturing me.
I stand from the rug and go to where I heard the door shut. I knock lightly with the intention of bringing everything to the surface, talking about what is going on between us before anything gets out of hand.
But when I open the door, I come upon a wonderfully impressive sight. Verrin is lying on his back, asleep, completely naked.
I slap my hand to my mouth as my heart skips a beat, my eyes magnetized downward to see a thick, veiny cock. He isn’t even hard, and that thing is hanging between his legs like a log.
Scalding heat runs up my thighs, but I am frozen. I hold the door open, my breath quickening with anticipation, and I see him starting to roll over.
I quickly close the door, hoping I didn’t disturb him, and rush in my sock-covered feet back to the rug.
